Illustrated Tales

Swan Lake

Commissioned to produce his ‘take’ on Swan Lake, the Tchaikovsky ballet for which no fundamental text exists, Helprin modified and extended the story into a surprisingly emotional and profound short epic cycle of ceaselessly alternating triumph and defeat. The world in which this takes place is as extraordinary . . . Learn more >

A City in Winter

Driven to avenge the murder of her royal parents and reclaim her lost kingdom, a daring young heroine and would-be queen journeys to the besieged city on the plain to seek out its evil conqueror, the Usurper. There she is befriended by two unlikely rebels who shield her from the Usurper and his . . . Learn more >

The Veil of Snows

Although her kingdom has lived in peace for many years, the queen has always feared the day the Usurper would return to plunge her city into darkness. Even as she rejoices the birth of her first child, she sees signs of impending danger. Her husband and his army have vanished in the wilderness . . . Learn more >

A Kingdom Far and Clear

A Kingdom Far and Clear: The Complete Swan Lake Trilogy presents Mark Helprin’s novellas — Swan Lake, A City in Winter, and The Veil of Snows — in a single volume, as he had always intended. Award-winning illustrator Chris Van Allsburg’s 39 full-color plates complement Helprin’s prose . . . Learn more >